Monday, October 24, 2011

RWC 2011 final in pictures

Maybe it was always going to come down to a single point if that's all you are aiming for to win. An unimpressive, drawn out victory for a side over-hyped and said to have 20 points over those wine-swilling poseurs. A hollow victory. A side of veteran players who played to the rule book on friendly turf and with friendly media and PR to give them self-confidence and in return they got a copybook response back from the opposition. Two sides, style and tactics mostly unchanged, on the same playing field as they were in 1987. One European team versus a team of Europeans and Polynesians. They were experienced and had the confidence to play it their way and to dictate the game on their terms in the end, even if they were within the striking distance of an upset. They might only be one point winners on the night - it's the winning that counts. But enough about National and their election chances let's talk about the rugby instead. All a bit of a blur in the end. As the random Maori kid said on Te Karere, "...but, yeah we won."

The stadium must have enjoyed the struggle, on TV a bit flat. Victims of hype. Must have cost a fortune. How much did the government pay again?

Abandoned beer. Beer left undrunk in a street, in NZ? No one anywhere. No road traffic. Like Quiet Earth.Am I Bruno Laurence?

Abandoned Police cars.Pass the pub. How are we going? - Just done the haka. Excellent. Heard the first ten minutes from TVs out of every house all the way through town.Right, so I haven't missed anything.Still haven't missed anything. Half time and it's anyone's game. Thanks, Piri - missie-teko. Acting, playing roles without flare, shadow boxing, shadow rugby. There are only two tin-arsed bastards in the World who could fuck us at this point: one of them is Australia (because they're cunts) and the other one is France (because they are flukey).Nail-biting last ten with one point in it. They've been playing league a bit and dicking around. Ugly and unappealing and fuck all on the board to show for it. So why not...... send in the pin-up boy to shoulder barge them to a stalemate.France, so close. NZ so far.The commentator on TV3 was begging them to kick it out as soon as the 80 came up. Telling him what to do, pleading to him to kick it out.

And he did. 8-7.

Quelle horreur! Or whatever the French would say.Ritchie and the other 4 million All Blacks were relieved. Happy and over-joyed, yeah, but also, mainly relieved. Graham Henry, RIP, Sir.That's a real New Zealander - doing his duty. To put New Zealand on a dainty golden cup.

33 million watched the final game of the rugby world cup in 2007 (it would not be that much more for last night's match), whereas the typical English Premier League game has a typical live audience for a single match of around 79.5 million.

"The Putting Rugby First report found 97 per cent of the abovementioned 33 million came from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, the four home nations and France. Fewer than one million tuned in from the IRB's other member nations - which number well over 100 - and include Japan, Argentina and the Pacific Islands"

Put it another way, the Rugby World Cup would hardly have done a jot for showcasing NZ to the 'world'

I did find JK's behavior at the presentation a bit, well, colonial, with his muttering in the Frenchman's ear while he was talking to our brave captain and shoving his hand in early to hold Ritchie"s, um, smallest two fingers.

And now Aotearoa is sleeping in a rugby coma, programmed by the subliminals broadcast from the giant screens, turning and mumbling in it's slumber..."vote?? what?? nar, we won...algud...um, beer...what, me vote?? yeah right!! zzzzz...", all the time a giant plastic waka....nevermind....in a parallel universe well nourished, healthy children played happily alongside clean beaches and rivers...